A 'normal' White-tailed Tropicbird photographed by
Jon Hornbuckle. Many on Christmas Island have an apricot or golden hue and are known
as 'Golden Bosunbirds'.

Where to watch birds and wildlife in

CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Every year between 50 and 120 million Red Crabs migrate, in great red swathes, from the forests to the coast of this speck in
the Indian Ocean to breed

And there is still room for several other species of crab, including giant Coconut Crabs, the largest land-living arthropods
in the world

The Red Crabs release their clouds of spawn into the sea where there are numerous multicoloured coral reef fish and, sometimes,
Whale Sharks and Manta Rays

While the skies above are sprinkled with boobies, frigatebirds and tropicbirds, including Abbott’s Boobies and Christmas Island
Frigatebirds, which nest here and nowhere else on Earth, and beautiful ‘golden’ White-tailed Tropicbirds

And on land there are at least four more endemic birds; a hawk owl, a goshawk, a pigeon and a white-eye

All on a classic tropical island

Every year at the beginning of the wet season on Christmas Island millions of Red Crabs migrate from the tropical forests
inland to the craggy coast to breed, a mass movement which can last for up to 18 days, usually during November-December. Waves of them clamber
down the often steep slopes and cliffs, the largest males, with bodies up to about 10 cm across, leading the way. At the shore they dig burrows
and mate with the females which soon outnumber them, in places as dense as 100 per square metre. The females then stay in the burrows for two
weeks while their eggs, up to 100,000 of them, develop. At the turn of the high tide during the last quarter of the moon they leave their
burrows to release their eggs into the ocean, in a mass spawning which may take place on six consecutive nights. The eggs hatch immediately on
contact with the sea water and transform into swirling clouds of young larvae, which, in turn, provide a feast for Manta Rays and Whale Sharks.
The larvae that survive soon change into baby crabs, leave the water, and head inland. The timing of the migration is dependent on when the wet
season rains set in and therefore it is not possible to pinpoint the exact date when the mass movement of crabs to the coast will start. However,
it usually takes place about four weeks before spawning and the possible spawning dates are usually given on the Christmas Island
Website Red Crabs page.

The annual Christmas Island Bird 'n' Nature Week usually takes place in August-September with
Tropical Seabird Research and Island Endemics as its theme. During the week participants will be invited to help catch Abbott’s Boobies,
colour-band Brown Boobies, study the nesting biology and foraging ecology of Red-tailed Tropicbirds and Christmas Island Frigatebirds, and,
possibly, colour-band Christmas Island Goshawks, survey Christmas Island Hawk Owls and map territories of Island Thrushes. There will also be
seminars on seabird research etc.

Even though this tiny island, a 135 sq km dot in the Indian Ocean, is Australian Territory it is 2600 km northwest of Perth
and just 360 km southwest of Java, the nearest landmass. It is accessible via weekly flights of two to two-and-a-half hours from Kuala Lumpur and
Singapore, and on three-hour flights from Perth, Western Australia, a great place to see Whale
Shark, Dugong and Stromatolites, living examples of the first life forms to have evolved on Earth, as well as endemic birds such as Western
Bristlebird and Noisy Scrub-bird.

Elsewhere in Australia there is Outback Australia
where it is possible to see Red Kangaroo and birds such as Letter-winged Kite;
Southeastern Australia where it is possible to see Koala, Platypus,
Tasmanian Devil and birds such as Superb Lyrebird, Little Penguin, Plains-wanderer and Satin Bowerbird;
Eastern Australia where the wildlife includes Koala, Platypus and birds
such as Southern Cassowary, Albert's Lyrebird, Paradise and Victoria's Birds-of-paradise, and Regent and Satin Bowerbirds;
Northern Australia where it is possible to see Saltwater Crocodile,
Black Wallaroo and birds such as Hooded Parrot, Gouldian Finch, Rainbow Pitta, Brolga Crane and Blue-winged Kookaburra; and
Northwestern Australia where it is also possible to see Gouldian
Finch, as well as Black Grasswren in the Kimberley and numerous shorebirds at Broome.

Fish
Christmas Island is surrounded by rich coral reefs and many spectacular underwater ‘drop-offs’ just a short distance offshore. The great diversity
of coral reef fish includes Whale Shark (after the Red Crab spawning season in December-January and again March-April), Manta Ray (mainly after the
Red Crab spawning season in December-January), the rare Dragon Moray Eel, Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, White-tip Reef Shark, Dogtooth Tuna, Harlequin
and Peacock Cods, Blue Tang, Moorish Idol and many butterflyfish.

Reptiles
Green Turtle

Best Sites for Birds, crabs and other wildlife on Christmas Island

Most of the seabirds are easy to see from The Settlement, where most of the visitor accommodation is situated. Nesting colonies
of both boobies and frigatebirds are at LB4 Lookout and Lily Beach, and both species of tropicbirds nest at
Flying Fish Cove, where there is also a superb reef accessible with a mask and snorkel straight from the jetty. Most landbirds are
easily seen too although a 4WD may be required to cruise the tracks in the middle of the island for the goshawk. The best place for some rarities,
such as Grey Wagtail, is the tip! Flying Foxes usually have a roost on the golf course. For more information visit the Parks Australia office.

Best Times for Birds, crabs and other wildlife on Christmas Island

Most of the endemic birds can be seen all year round on this wet and humid tropical island, although birding is most likely to be affected by the
frequent rain, especially during the rainiest season which lasts November to May, and by the Red Crab migration, which usually takes place in
November-December, resulting in the closure of some roads, which may prevent access to some birding sites. Daily temperatures vary little from month
to month, ranging from a minimum of 22°C in August to a maximum of 28°C in April.

Recommended Bird Books etc. for Christmas Island

Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago by J Eaton et al. Lynx Edicions, due March 2016.

The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by G Pizzey and F Knight. Harper Collins, 2012 (Ninth Edition).

The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds by P, P and R Slater. Reed/New Holland, 2009 (Revised Edition).

Apps etc.

The Michael Morcombe and David Stewart eGuide to the Birds of Australia.

Pizzey and Knight Birds of Australia.

Birding and Wildlife Trip Reports for Christmas Island

Many trip reports, some for Christmas Island, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these
websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to
Christmas Island. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites,
which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Christmas Island' below.

Local bird and wildlife guides on Christmas Island

The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders.
Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are
the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional
skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently,
employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the
wildlife you wish to see.

Accommodation for birders on Christmas Island

Some Organized Tours for birds and other wildlife to Christmas Island

There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other
wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably
according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours
last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an
important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals
and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and
transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where
the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the
cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local
transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and
that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those
which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously
lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit.
Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are
certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are
the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional
skills of the local guides they employ.

While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom
tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set
itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes,
whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made
attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are
also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds
or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best
sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the
pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit
people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of
strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small
groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with
a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the
price quoted for a set tour.

Tour companies who run organized tours or can arrange custom tours to Christmas Island
include the following.